What is a wedding breakfast?

In the UK it is usual to have some form of celebratory meal after the wedding ceremony. Often, this will be referred to as the wedding breakfast. But, it’s not really breakfast is it!? It will be served much later than the usual breakfast time, and is very unlikely to resemble a typical breakfast meal. So what is a wedding breakfast, and why is it called that?

What is the tradition of a wedding breakfast?

As I’ve mentioned, it is usual in the UK to have a celebratory meal after the wedding ceremony. This traditionally would be a lavish dinner, with several courses, followed by toasts and speeches. It’s becoming increasingly popular to have less formal alternatives though, such as a buffet, grazing table, or even street food vendors. Whatever form the meal takes, it can be called the wedding breakfast.

a tag shaped wedding menu card with a colourful ink splash design and purple ribbon at the top
Bespoke wedding breakfast menu tag

Is a wedding breakfast in the morning?

And here’s where the confusion can start to take hold. Because the meal after the ceremony isn’t breakfast is it!? It’s not in the morning when most of us eat breakfast. Nor is it typical breakfast foods that are eaten, although if bacon and eggs are your fave then by all means serve them at your wedding! Where did this term ‘wedding breakfast’ come from?

Why is it called a wedding breakfast?

I’ve done a little research and here’s what I’ve found out. The term wedding breakfast dates back to the 17th century. As was customary at the time, the bride and groom would fast before the wedding ceremony so that they could receive holy communion. After the ceremony, the priest would bless some wine and cakes which were then shared with the congregation, including the newlyweds. Consequently, the newly married couple would be breaking their fast with this food and drink, hence the term ‘wedding breakfast’.

Why do we still use the term? Well, we do like a good old wedding tradition don’t we? Wedding breakfast is still widely used to describe the meal that follows the wedding ceremony, purely because of tradition. In the same way as you’ll see some other weird and wonderful ‘traditional’ language used around weddings.

See my blog: What does carriages at midnight mean?

a wedding menu with champagne floral design. It has a matching name tag attached to it with ivory silk ribbon
Personalised wedding menu card from my Champagne collection

What can you call it instead?

Of course, you can call your celebratory meal (or buffet, or grazing table, or otherwise) whatever you like! It’s not really important, and the only place you might actually refer to it is on your wedding invitations. Instead you could call it any of the following:
Wedding banquet
Wedding feast
Celebratory lunch
Celebratory dinner

Or simply describe what is happening after the ceremony, e.g.
Followed by dinner, drinks, & dancing
Fizz and food to follow

What stationery will you need for your wedding reception & meal?

Of course, as a wedding stationery designer it would be remiss of me to write a blog about the reception and meal without mentioning the all important paper products! There are a few essentials that you need for your wedding breakfast that will help the meal run smoothly. These will mostly apply if you are having a traditional sit down meal, but you can use elements if you are having an alternative celebration as well.

a wedding table plan on an easel with sky blue floral accents to the corners
Bespoke pale blue floral table plan board

Table plan

A clear and easily visible table plan, placed at the entrance to your reception room will ensure that all your guests know which table they are seated at.

See more: Wedding table plans
Useful blog: What names to use on your table plan and place cards

elegant wedding table number card with a modern monogram and calligraphy design
Table number cards from my Modern Monogram collection

Table names or numbers

Displayed on each table, these will help your guests navigate to the right table once they are in the reception room.

See more: able names and numbers
Useful blog: Ideas for table names instead of numbers

plantable place card for a wedding, with a greenery design at the top
Seeded paper wedding place cards

Place cards or tags

Once your guests have found their table, they need to know which seat is theirs. Small cards or tags with their name will tell them this.

See more: Wedding place cards cards and tags
Useful blog: My favourite place card ideas

a pair of wedding breakfast menu cards with a multicoloured floral hoop monogram design at the bottom and green name tags attached with ivory silk ribbon
Personalised, bespoke wedding menu cards with name tags

Personalised menus

If your guests have pre-ordered their own meal choices, a personalised menu at each place setting is a great reminder of what they ordered!

See more: Wedding Menus
Useful blog: How to include choices in your invitations

What is a wedding breakfast, and why is it called that?

So now you know what a wedding breakfast is, why it’s called that, and what stationery you might need for it, you’re all set! It’s a traditional term, dating back to the 1800s, when the bride and groom would break their pre-wedding fast with some celebratory food after the service.

Despite the name, it’s not served in the morning, nor it is typical breakfast foods. You can actually call it whatever you like, whether that’s lunch, dinner, buffet, street food, or something else.

And finally, if you are having a sit down meal, there are some items of wedding stationery that will help to make the whole event run smoothly, and look gorgeous of course!

Thanks for reading, I hope you’ve found this blog useful and that you are no longer confused about what a wedding breakfast is! Why not pop over to instagram and let me know what you think.

If you’re using Pinterest to help plan your wedding (I know you are!) save the image below to your wedding stationery board so you can find this article again later. Come and say hi while you’re there too!